2:0 against Luxembourg

Georgia can continue to dream of EURO participation

Budu Zivzivadze (mi.) scored a brace

(Bild: APA/AFP/Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE)

Georgia can continue to dream of their first participation in a European Football Championship. The team coached by Willy Sagnol celebrated a 2-0 victory over Luxembourg in the play-off semi-final in Tbilisi on Tuesday and will now fight for a place at this year's finals in Germany in front of a home crowd against the promoted team from the clash between Greece and Kazakhstan. The winner of this match will play in a EURO group with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic.

The Georgians had to face Luxembourg without their suspended star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with Budu Zivzivadze proving to be the match-winner in the Napoli pro's absence. The striker, who plays for Karlsruher SC, scored in the 41st minute after a corner and poor defending from the Luxembourg side, and in the 64th minute after excellent work from Levan Shengelia. Zivzivadze was also unlucky with a shot off the bar in the 13th minute.

VAR rescinded the goal
However, the match could have turned in the 53rd minute. Gerson Rodrigues made it 1:1, but then the VAR intervened and referred to a scene about a minute earlier in which Georges Mikautadze was brought down after a duel with Maxime Chanot. Spanish referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez rescinded the 1:1 and instead gave Chanot a straight red and a free-kick, which Shengelia struck the crossbar (58').

Sagnol allowed Sturm Graz legionnaire Otar Kiteishvili to play through and Sandro Altunashvili (WAC) to sit on the bench. For Luxembourg, Austria Vienna's Marvin Martins was substituted in the 42nd minute.